“G-BOMBS” is an acronym you can use to remember the most nutrient-dense, health-promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods you should eat every day, and they should make up a significant proportion of your diet – these foods are extremely effective at preventing chronic disease and promoting health and longevity.

G – Greens

Raw leafy greens contain only about 100 calories per pound, and are packed with nutrients. Leafy greens contain substances that protect blood vessels, and are associated with reduced risk of diabetes.1 Greens are an excellent tool for weight loss, since they can be consumed in virtually unlimited quantities. Leafy greens are also the most nutrient-dense of all foods, but unfortunately are only consumed in miniscule amounts in a typical American diet. We should follow the example of our closest living relatives – chimpanzees and gorillas – who consume tens of pounds of green leaves every day. The majority of calories in green vegetables, including leafy greens, come from protein, and this plant protein is packaged with beneficial phytochemicals: Green vegetables are rich in folate (the natural form of folic acid), calcium, and contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Leafy greens are also rich in antioxidant pigments called carotenoids, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin, which are the carotenoids known to promote healthy vision.2Also, several leafy greens and other green vegetables (such as bok choy, broccoli, and kale) belong to the cruciferous family of vegetables.

All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition; they contain glucosinolates, and when their cell walls are broken by blending, chopping, or chewing, a chemical reaction converts glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (ITCs) - compounds with a variety of potent anti-cancer effects. Because different ITCs can work in different locations in the cell and on different molecules, they can have combined additive effects, working synergistically to remove carcinogens, reduce inflammation, neutralize oxidative stress, inhibit angiogenesis (the process by which tumors acquire a blood supply), and kill cancer cells.3

B - Beans

Beans (and other legumes as well) are a powerhouse of superior nutrition, and the most nutrient-dense carbohydrate source. They act as an anti-diabetes and weight-loss food because they are digested slowly, having a stabilizing effect on blood sugar, which promotes satiety and helps to prevent food cravings. Plus they contain soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol levels.14 Beans are unique foods because of their very high levels of fiber and resistant starch, carbohydrates that are not broken down by digestive enzymes. Fiber and resistant starch not only reduce the total number of calories absorbed from beans, but are also fermented by intestinal bacteria into fatty acids that help to prevent colon cancer. Eating beans, peas, or lentils at least twice a week has been found to decrease colon cancer risk by 50%. 15,16 Legume intake also provides significant protection against oral, larynx, pharynx, stomach, and kidney cancers.17

O – Onions

Onions, along with leeks, garlic, shallots, and scallions, make up the Allium family of vegetables, which have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular and immune systems, as well as anti-diabetic and anti-cancer effects. Allium vegetables are known for their characteristic organosulfur compounds, Similar to the ITCs in cruciferous vegetables, organosulfur compounds are released when onions are chopped, crushed, or chewed. Epidemiological studies have found that increased consumption of Allium vegetables is associated with lower risk of gastric and prostate cancers. These compounds prevent the development of cancers by detoxifying carcinogens, halting cancer cell growth, and blocking angiogenesis.4 Onions also contain high concentrations of health-promoting flavonoid antioxidants, predominantly quercetin, and red onions also contain at least 25 different anthocyanins.5,6 Quercetin slows tumor development, suppresses growth and proliferation and induces cell death in colon cancer cells.7 Flavonoids also have anti-inflammatory effects that may contribute to cancer prevention.8

M - Mushrooms

Consuming mushrooms regularly is associated with decreased risk of breast, stomach, and colorectal cancers. In a Chinese study, women who ate at least 10 grams of fresh mushrooms each day (about one mushroom per day) had a 64% decreased risk of breast cancer. Even more dramatic protection was gained by women who ate 10 grams of mushrooms and drank green tea daily - an 89% decrease in risk for premenopausal women, and 82% for postmenopausal women.9,10 White, cremini, portobello, oyster, shiitake, maitake, and reishi mushrooms all have anti-cancer properties - some are anti-inflammatory, stimulate the immune system, prevent DNA damage, slow cancer cell growth, cause programmed cancer cell death, or inhibit angiogenesis.In addition to these properties, mushrooms are unique in that they contain aromatase inhibitors - compounds that can block the production of estrogen. These compounds are thought to be largely responsible for the preventive effects of mushrooms against breast cancer - in fact, there are aromatase-inhibiting drugs on the market that are used to treat breast cancer. Regular consumption of dietary aromatase inhibitors is an excellent strategy for prevention, and it turns out that even the most commonly eaten mushrooms (white, cremini, and portobello) have high anti-aromatase activity.11

B – Berries

Blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries are true super foods. Naturally sweet and juicy, berries are low in sugar and high in nutrients - they are among the best foods you can eat. Their vibrant colors mean that they are full of antioxidants, including flavonoids and antioxidant vitamins - berries are some of the highest antioxidant foods in existence. Berries’ plentiful antioxidant content confers both cardioprotective and anti-cancer effects, such as reducing blood pressure, reducing inflammation, preventing DNA damage, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, and stimulating of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes. Berry consumption has been linked to reduced risk of diabetes, cancers and cognitive decline.12Berries are an excellent food for the brain – berry consumption improves both motor coordination and memory.13

S - Seeds

Nuts and seeds contain healthy fats and are rich in a spectrum of micronutrients including phytosterols, minerals, and antioxidants. Countless studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular benefits of nuts, and including nuts in the diet aids in weight maintenance and diabetes prevention.18,19 The nutritional profiles of seeds are similar to nuts when it comes to healthy fats, minerals, and antioxidants, but seeds are also abundant in trace minerals, higher in protein than nuts, and each kind of seed is nutritionally unique. Flax, chia, and hemp seeds are extremely rich sources of omega-3 fats. In addition to the omega-3s, flaxseeds are rich in fiber and lignans. Flaxseed consumption protects against heart disease by a number of different mechanisms, and lignans, which are present in both flaxseeds and sesame seeds, have anti-cancer effects.20 Sunflower seeds are especially rich in protein and minerals. Pumpkin seeds are rich in iron and calcium and are a good source of zinc. Sesame seeds have the greatest amount of calcium of any food in the world, and provide abundant amounts of vitamin E. Also, black sesame seeds are extremely rich in antioxidants.21 The healthy fats in seeds and nuts also aid in the absorption of nutrients when eaten with vegetables.

Journal of Clinical Investigation (2011, March 24). High levels of dietary nitrate might in part explain the vascular benefits of diets rich in leafy greens. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2011/03/110323135631.htm

No matter how many different dietary theories there are out there, pretty much everyone agrees that vegetables are “good for you”. But how good they truly are has been debated – there are plenty of observational studies linking vegetable consumption to favorable health outcomes, but other studies have made headlines by casting doubt on how powerful plant foods are for preventing disease. The data from these observational studies is often flawed simply because the majority of people in the Western world don’t eat enough vegetables to have a measurable impact on their risk of chronic disease – only about 25% of Americans eat the recommended three one-cup servings of vegetables each day.[1] Also, total vegetable consumption isn’t necessarily an accurate indicator of the healthfulness of one’s diet, since some vegetables are far more nutrient-dense than others. Of course, long-term controlled trials of consumption of a high-nutrient vegetable-based (nutritarian) diet have not yet been published (with the Nutritional Research Project, I aim to fill this gap in the medical literature). Some long-term observational studies, however, do provide clear, high-quality data demonstrating that vegetable consumption is an important factor in chronic disease prevention – a study on serum α-carotene levels and risk of death provides such data.

Alpha-carotene is one of over six-hundred different carotenoids, a family of antioxidants that also includes β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin. Carotenoids help to defend the body’s tissues against oxidative damage, which is a natural byproduct of our oxygen-dependent metabolism. [2] Oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids is a known contributor to chronic disease and an accepted mechanism of aging. The body’s defenses against oxidative damage consist of naturally produced as well as diet-derived antioxidant molecules.

Many prospective studies in the past have supported the epidemiologic association between plasma carotenoids and reduced risk of disease and/or death. [3-6] However, these studies didn’t differentiate between carotenoids from food and those from supplements. Carotenoid supplements have failed to duplicate this effect in clinical trials. In fact, supplemental carotenoids are likely to be harmful. A meta-analysis of several trials found a 7% increase in mortality risk in subjects taking β-carotene supplements. [7, 8] Also, high serum β-carotene has been associated with decreased lung cancer risk, but β-carotene supplements may increase the risk of lung cancer, especially in smokers.[9] Attempting to duplicate the beneficial effects of carotenoid-rich foods with isolated nutrients is foolish - it completely neglects the contribution of additional and/or synergistic effects of other nutrients contained in those foods.

Beta-carotene is the most widely studied carotenoid, but α-carotene more accurately reflects vegetable intake because α-carotene is not present in most multivitamins and supplements. It is also an excellent marker of high-nutrient vegetable intake, since dark green and orange colored vegetables are the richest sources of alpha carotene. Green vegetables are the highest in overall nutrient density, and of course they are the foods richest in alpha carotene.

This study measured baseline serum α-carotene and tracked deaths in the 15,318 participants over a fourteen-year follow-up period. After controlling for potential confounding factors, the researchers found a significant trend – increasing serum α-carotene associated with decreased risk of death from all causes. Those with the highest serum α-carotene had a 39% decrease in risk of death compared to those with the lowest serum α-carotene. Similar relationships were found between serum α-carotene and risk of death from cardiovascular disease, all causes other than CVD, and cancer.

Serum α-carotene

% Decrease in risk of death from all causes

0-1 µg/dl

(Reference group)

2-3 µg/dl

23%

4-5 µg/dl (average 4.79 µg/dl)

27%

6-8 µg/dl

34%

≥9 µg/dl

39%

Alpha-carotene itself does provide significant antioxidant benefit –but more importantly α-carotene is a marker of the thousands of additional compounds, working synergistically to keep the body healthy and is present in green and orange vegetables. [10]

These results suggest that not only quantity of vegetable consumption, but the type of vegetables consumed has a major impact on health. This is the main principle behind the nutritarian diet – eating according to nutrient density. This large, long term study gives much support to the concept of nutritarianism, as many foods high in α-carotene tend to be high in micronutrients overall – the foods that make up the base of the nutritarian food pyramid. And of course keep in mind, even in the highest alpha carotene group in this study, the levels of vegetable consumption as a percent of total calories are likely not nearly as high as in someone following a nutritarian diet. Also, the serum level of alpha carotene in someone following a typical Western diet likely reflects mostly carrot consumption compared to the wide variety of green and yellow vegetables that would be consumed as part of a nutritarian diet, from which further benefits would be expected to accrue from the variety of phytochemicals contained within those vegetables.

Examples of foods with a high α-carotene to calorie ratio[11]:

Bok choy

Cabbage

Red peppers

Carrots

Swiss chard

Green peppers

Asparagus

Collards

Broccoli

Winter squash

Peas

Now imagine if such a study was done on people eating the dietary quality I recommend, which would result in levels much higher than those in the study, and imagine if a diet of this quality was done for more than 10 years and with other synergistic foods, such as mushrooms, onions, berries and seeds. Just imagine...

All foods get their calories from fat, carbohydrate, or protein. Green vegetables, unlike high-starch vegetables like carrots and potatoes, get the majority of their calories from protein. When more of your protein needs are met from green vegetables, you get the benefit of ingesting a huge amount of critical, life-extending micronutrients.

The biggest animals all eat predominantly green vegetation, gaining their size from the protein found there. Obviously, greens pack a powerful, nutrient-dense punch. Some high-green-eating animals—primates—have a very similar biology and physiology to humans. Based on genetic information, chimpanzee and human DNA only differs by 1.6 percent. The desire of primates for variety in their diet supports nutrient diversity that enables them to live a long life, free of chronic diseases. But, without an adequate amount of plant-derived nutrients, immune system dysfunction develops. The results of a compromised immune system are frequent infections, allergies, autoimmune disease, and often cancer. The micronutrients that fuel the primate immune system are found in nature’s cupboard—the garden and forest.

Now that you have delved this far into the field of nutritional medicine, you might as well invest a few more health dollars in your body’s nutrient bank account by focusing on your consumption of greens every day. Low in calories and high in life-extending nutrients, green foods are your secret weapon to achieve incredible health. Scientific research has shown a strong positive association between the consumption of green vegetables and a reduction of all the leading causes of death in humans.1 Cruciferous vegetables—in particular broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, bok choy, collards, watercress, and arugula, to name a few—are loaded with disease-protecting micronutrients and powerful compounds that promote detoxification.

To bring your body to a phenomenal level of health, my aim is to deliver these foods to your plate in a variety of ways that make them delicious and increase your absorption of their beneficial nutrients. Greens can be served raw in salads, steamed and chopped as part of dinner, and cooked in soups.

When we steam or boil vegetables some of the phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals get lost in the water, but when we simmer vegetables in soup, all the nutrients are retained in the liquid. Additionally, the liquid base of the soup prevents the formation of toxic compounds that are created as food is browned under dry heat. Many beneficial chemical compounds are more readily absorbed when the food has been softened with heat.2 You should incorporate larger quantities of greens in an assortment of delicious ways as you move up the stages of dietary excellence.

It’s August, so fall is right around the corner and most of us think that’s the end of gardening and enjoying fresh homegrown vegetables—wrong! In this video, one organic farmer insists fall is the perfect time to grow Dr. Fuhrman’s favorite, leafy green vegetables, like kale, arugula, mustard greens and lettuce. Apparently, many of these veggies do better in the. Dr. Fuhrman says green—or cruciferous—vegetables are king, loaded with important phytochemicals and nutrients.